Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Female Genital Mutiiation, Allison Blount

The Corinthian

Female circumcision, also called female genital mutilation (FGM), is a collective name given to several traditional operations performed on girls and women in 28 African countries primarily but also in Asia among some minorities. According to the Rainbo organization, FQiM is an ancient custom estimated to affect 130 million girls and women; there are about 2 million new cases each year. Recently, the practice has also begun to surface within immigrant communities in Europe, Australia, Canada, and the United States ("Female Genital Mutilation: A Fact"). As you read this essay, there are between eight and ten million women and girls …